Musings from a plane ride

Reflections from a day spent in a small cylindrical container hurtling across Canada.

I guess I was in a reflective (and a tad anxious) mood as I left my family this morning and headed to the airport.  It seems odd to be all on my own and yet welcome in some ways - time to just be quiet. 

Somehow that just make the voices in my head a bit louder.

I love watching people in airports.....or anywhere really.....but there is a certain something about airports.

No one is there by accident.

No one just strolled in to Concourse A, Gate 4.

Everyone has a purpose, a story that brought them there.

I don't need to know what it is....the story that brought them there.....because I make up my own stories about why they are there.

I assign stories to my co-travellers as I watch them.

The Grandma's and Grandpas's - joyfully expectant of little ones to hug on soon, or teary eyed after another parting, many travelling to see their grandchildren graduate.

The students traveling home from University or College - hair a little ragged, clothes a little crumpled, maybe a little weary from too much studying (or partying?)

The Suits off to do deals - shoes shiny, jackets crisp, brandname carry-on.  Some confident, some anxious, some expectant, some resigned.

The RFH's (Returning From Hawaii) all sun kissed, flip-floped, aloha-ing......I try not to hate them. Especially when they whine about the weather.

The Conference go-ers and comers.....I spotted some going to the same conference as I am....overheard others talking about one just finished in Vancouver....people seeking knowledge and inspiration and connections.

The jet setters and snowbirds returning from or going on exotic vacations talking of beaches and golf and spas.

The budget travelers and backpackers clutching Lonely planet, wearing MEC pants and sensible shoes.

And all the others.....the artist who sat beside me and did a pen drawing of a covered bridge that was incredible, the little ones with too-big backpacks and floppy bunnies clutched tightly, the singles,the married, the tattooed and pierced, the old and disabled, the charming and grumpy the chatty and the silent....

Is the world in this plane with me?

~

I love flying over land in daylight.....that within seconds of take off I can see my Godsons now tiny house just east of the airport and blow him a kiss.

Seconds later I see Aberdeen Centre that looks like butterfly from above and immediately after I see my new daycare surrounded by construction and in a split second all the hopes and dreams I have for it fill my heart and mind.

I see Cambie Secondary where my husband is teaching his last day of classes there....ever....a happy / sad day for him and I say a quick prayer over him.

Before my other new daycare comes into view we are swallowed into the clouds and I feel truly cast off from my life, my town, my family and settle in for the flight.

I chose a window seat in the hopes of seeing something of this great land on this flight across it but we left Vancouver in rain and low cloud.  Shortly before the Okanagan the cloud started to break-up and for the rest of the flight I was blessed with vistas of rugged snow capped mountains and deep lush valleys and full (some flooding) rivers, glacial lakes, winding roads.  Those mountains fill me with awe.  I have seen them from the road but I love seeing them from up here, seeing into gorges and crevasses one has ever been....this is quintessential Canadian landscape.

And suddenly we are over the mountains and the land rolls out flat and forever.......now carved up into quilt squares of farms scattered about...and then sparse sub-divisions, then more dense suburbs, the a City springs up along a river or at a crossroads.....and then back to the rolling, golden and green quilt squares......the prairies seem never ending.  I want to stand on this part of Canada one day and look up at the sky but for now I love the view from up here.  And then the trees and the lakes.... the great lakes that look like oceans... Superior, Michigan and Huron.....and back to pastoral order with groves of trees, tracks for race horses, meandering rivers.

This is a vast and magnificent land......I will drive across it one day.....today it was a privilege and a blessing to observe it from on high (and I realise southern Ontario is only 2/3 of the way across).

It's been an odd but interesting day.  Alone but not lonely.  Separated from those I love by many miles but keeping them close in my heart.

Ready for the adventure that begins tomorrow.

Selective Elective

As Allan gets close to the end of his degree in Leadership at Trinity he is required to take 1 elective course.

Like most things that are elective....he has left this to the end......and the pickings were slim.....interesting (Dead Sea Scrolls, Astronomy, Physics) but slim.  He wanted something that would be interesting to keep him engaged through the Summer when there are plenty of other things he could/should/wants to be doing.

Then he happened upon a photography course.

And not just any photography course.

This one in at a ranch in the interior over 5 days.  As in a fun course that is over in 5 days where the assignments are photos.....genius!

And........ you can take your family along.

Except our kids are away at camp on Anvil Island so it will be just me going along.

And......its a ranch we have been to before and love - Spring Lake Ranch (just outside of 100 Mile House) hosted us for a happy, sunny, hot week a few summers ago.  So no travel angst or need to do any research.....perfection!

So with his new camera, his text books already purchased and read, an intriguing and exciting course outline, Allan is delighted with this choice of elective for many reasons.  Course + new camera + accommodation for 2 for  5 days = most expensive course of the degree but it's more than just a course - its a mini vacation for Allan and I which we really didn't think we could swing this Summer!

I am SO looking forward to 4 days mostly on my own, reading, scrapbooking, swimming, kayaking, snoozing and taking my own photos (with maybe a tip or two from the pro's).

This degree has taken a lot of money, a lot of time away from our family, a lot of effort on Allan's part so it is nice to have a little piece of it to give us a happy, summer break.

We will miss these monkeys

And 3 credits.

New Toy

I have been having a fun time on FourSquare today with my buddies GH and NF dropping hints about our new toy.

They definitely came up with some pretty interesting guesses and called me mean for not telling then what it is.

I suspect they will now be disappointed with the reveal........

Allan We have long wanted a good digital SLR and we have prevaricated for months, maybe a year or two actually, about a) spending the money and b) what to spend the money on if we had it.

I have not been the driving force of this discussion as I am in love with my digital canon 14x optical zoom that fits in my jeans pocket and/or my purse and takes extraordinarily good shots.   Not as good as a good DSLR ,of course, but close, and for a fraction of the price and with less hassle.

But Allan recently signed up for a photography course (more about that in another post) and it didn't make sense for him to use our older (but still very serviceable) Canon DSLR (with a dirty spot on the lens we need to get cleaned).

So after much research and the realisation that Allan's schooling precludes a summer vacation (and therefore no expenditure of travel funds saved), we decided to dip into the savings and buy a......

Nikon D5100 body plus 2 lenses.

It's a beauty, we got it on sale and I think we are all going to enjoy owning it.  Allan spent ages pouring over the manual yesterday and I am sure when he completes his course he will know so much more.

I think it makes it sweeter that we had to wait, to save and work hard to afford it........It certainly makes us appreciative of what we have and determined to take good care of it.

Now to see how good we are at sharing our toys.

London Calling

London
Ontario
Canada....to be precise.

I will be jetting off to the "other" side of the country on Tuesday to attend a Leadership Institute and Study Tour on Creating structures that support ongoing Professional Development......... phew that is a mouthful!

I am super excited.......and a tad anxious.

The organisation I am visiting is similar in structure to my own and I am excited to learn much from them on how to sustain curriculum and staff pro-d over multiple sites.

And I am over-the-moon excited to hear the keynote speaker Ann Pelo who was a visionary staff member at Hilltop Children's Centre in Seattle for many years and whose philosophy and practice have heavily influenced my own.

I think it will be an intense but inspiring 4 days.

I am also a tad anxious - there will be a ton of smart and experienced people there (almost all Executive level folks) and I always doubt that I will be able to hold my own, be articulate and smart and cogent......I don't love going to something where I know nobody.  There is a high degree of participation expected and there will be lots of small group work so no hiding in the back row at this event!  In this field people are usually friendly and inclusive so I am sure it will be just fine....as long as I don't spill coffee on my crisp white shirt the first day.....(Please tell me other people worry about things like this??)

I am excited to go to a new place.....it looks like a lovely city on a river....and its 30 degrees and sunny there today!!!  A king size bed in a Hilton for 4 nights will be enjoyable.  Due to silly flights I have almost a whole day to explore and get oriented before the conference and I have already picked the things I want to see and do.

I will miss my family.......5 days will feel long without them.

Here's to learning and adventure, on-time flights, long bubble baths, new connections, some "down" time for rest and reflection and lots of inspiration to bring home.

Wordless Wednesday - Saturday Sunset in Steveston

Thank the Staying

As word gets out that Allan is leaving his current school after 13 years he has reflected that people have been saying the nicest things about him.

He has been so taken aback about what people think about him as a person and a colleague and a teacher (all good and positive and some very touching). 

He is surprised to know what people think and a little sad, I think, to only know it now, as he leaves.

We have wondered together how it might be to say these things to ones colleagues as a regular, intentional practice?  Allan is certainly determined to foster the disposition in himself to be more intentional in affirming colleagues and co-workers and even students as much as he can in regular daily school life.....and in the rest of his life too.

I recently wrote this post on bringing affirmations to my workplace and although I highly value the practice, I find it is easy to lose in the busy, day-to-day-ness of life and work.

I encourage us all today to affirm, thank, connect with someone in your life or your workplace.

Don't wait until they either do something extraordinary or leave to say it.

Super Silly Saturday

Yesterday was off, odd, the earth was a little off kilter.......something was in the air.

1. David was last up......WHAT......our early bird slept in and stayed in bed until after 10am.  I know there was a time I dreamed this would happen but now....I am not so sure......this teenage metamorphosis is ....disconcerting.

2. Our sleeper was up early to go grocery shopping with her Dad.....WHAT.......up and dressed before 9am......hmmm

3. I went to work, Allan and Lindsay did a big grocery shop, David mowed the lawn and trimmed the edges and got an injury, Allan and David installed the new water tank in the garden, Lindsay got a hair cut and Allan, assisted by Lindsay and I made an amazing dinner.

So we sat down to a lovely, civilized, unhurried dinner.....I was looking forward to some great conversation, catching up with everyone, talking about the next couple of weeks....


A Mom can dream.

Within seconds of sitting down........

1. Lindsay and David told an unbroken string of Chuck Norris jokes........seriously.......where do they find these?  Gone instantly the refined atmosphere not to mention the the peace and quite.  I will admit they were funny......"Little kids wear Superman pajamas, Superman wears Chuck Norris Pajamas"....."Chuck Norris counted to Infinity....twice".

2. Shortly after that episode Allan broke into song ......and old song he couldn't remember the words to so he played it on his iPhone - its a lovely Celtic ballad that my sister sings beautifully..... the children rolled their eyes and gagged silently as Allan and I croaked along ........

3. It made me melancholic......I poured a second glass of red wine.

4. Lindsay begged for some upbeat music and a 4 minute conversation broke out using only song titles.......again.....how do they know all this stuff?  Used to be all they knew was "I love you, You love me, we're  a happy family" and now its rolling in the deep, lighting the rain on fire, are we dancers or are we humans?, we built this city on rock and roll, it's all alright now, pumped up kicks.....boom boom pow........

5. While this was happening Allan now having tapped into the sappy ballad genre on his iTunes played "You light up my life" .....the children now made audible gagging noises.

6. By the time he found "Wind beneath my wings" the children decided interpretive dance was in order and began doing "suicide dancing" as they call it.........there was absolutely no decorum, or dinner, left at this point.

David being the wind beneath Allan's wings

7. I thought I could redeem the moment by playing "Let the River Run"" from the movie Working Girl (worth watching the music video just for the 80's hair....and Harrison Ford) but , as much as I loved it, the children returned to their eye rolling as they cleared the table.

So the dinner I imagined and the dinner that actually unfolded.........not even close.....but that's all alright because the one that happened will likely be remembered far more .......

I love my family